Some mobile applications require access to a user's private data to provide a personalized user experience. For example, a mobile application may require access to a user's location to provide local search results for restaurants, and another mobile application may require access to a user's social network account information to provide access to functionality of a social network. For many users, the ability to control what private data they share and when they share the private data is paramount to the overall user experience with their mobile device.
Some mobile operating systems provide a global privacy setting through which users can opt-in to or opt-out of allowing certain private data, such as his or her current location, to be utilized by all mobile applications installed on their mobile device. Additional opt-in and opt-out settings are sometimes provided on a per application basis so that the user can opt-in to or opt-out of allowing some applications to access their private data while denying access to others. This cumbersome approach to managing access to private data results in users either opting out and enjoying no benefit from applications that require or are enhanced by the use of private data, or users opting in to and having their private data exposed under all conditions even when this exposure is not desired.